When a person finds what they are good at, they normally stick with it for a long period of time.
This has been true for Havre’s Garreth Bernard in the sports of baseball and hockey. Bernard finished up his final season of Ice Hawks hockey last season and put the cap on a seven-year hockey career. And in his six years as a goalie, Bernard was also a part of a second-place finish at the state tournament in his third year with the Ice Hawks.
But Baseball has also been just as big, if not a bigger part of Bernard’s life. He has found himself on the diamond every season since the age of five when his parents signed him up for T-Ball.
And now in Bernard’s third season with the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball club, he's in right in the middle of what looks to be a promising finish to the season season. He is part of the starting pitching rotation and does his time at second base and catcher as well. Bernard is also heating up with the weather at the plat, and has hit two homerruns in his last three outings.
Here's five questions with one of the North Stars' leaders this season.
HDN: What did it feel like when you hit the two-run home run against Vauxhall?
Bernard: “That felt great, it was my first home run for the North Stars, and it helped us get the lead so that felt even better. When I hit the ball I didn’t even know it was going out, I guess it bounced off the top of the fence, I didn’t even see it, but it just felt great to help out the team and to get my first homerun with the North Stars.”
HDN: What is tougher to do, pitch a complete game with the North Stars or get a shutout in the net with the Ice Hawks?
Bernard: “That’s hard. For me personally, I think it’s harder to pitch a complete game. I have never been able to last the whole game, sometimes I do sometimes I don’t. It seems like I get tired in the fourth or fifth inning easily, but I still try to throw hard and work at it.”
HDN: If you had to pick just one, would you play baseball or hockey?
Bernard: “I would play baseball, baseball has been my sport all my life. I guess I would have to thank my parents for that, they signed me up for T-Ball when I was five and I have loved it ever since. I love playing it and I love watching it.”
HDN: What are the North Stars’ goals this season?
Bernard: “I would say just to keep winning games, to do well in districts, keep a good composure and keep representing the North Stars with pride.”
HDN: The North Stars are young this season, but what is the team's strength?
Bernard: “It has been our ability to bounce back from losses. We have won eight in a row now and we have really been getting the bats going. We have also cut down on the mental errors and have been pitching well.”
